Author – Awadhesh Sharma
Mohandas Gandhi had established his own legal practice in Rajkot. Its performance was not encouraging. During this period, a Porbandar based partner of Dada Abdulla and Co., an Indian owned company in South Africa, offered him a job. The company had a court case that was pending from sometime. European legal professionals were handling the case. Gandhi was required to assist them. It was anticipated that his services would be needed for not more than a year. Gandhi realised that it would offer him good opportunity to gain valuable experience and to make some savings. He accepted the offer.
In April 1893, twenty-three old Gandhi boarded a ship for South Africa leaving behind his wife and children in India. The ship arrived at Durban by May end. Sheth Abdulla, owner of the company received Gandhi at the port.
A few days after his arrival, Abdulla took him to see the Durban court. Gandhi was wearing his turban. The magistrate asked him to remove the turban. Gandhi declined, as the turban was a symbol of his honour, and left the court. Next day Gandhi wrote to the press about the incident protesting the conduct of the magistrate.
Gandhi learnt from Abdulla about the condition of Indians residing there and also observed their mistreatment by authorities and general white population. Indians were addressed as Coolie or Sami in a derogatory sense.
The case for which Gandhi was hired was filed in a Pretoria court. Gandhi left Durban for Pretoria by train in a first class compartment. About 9pm, the train arrived at Maritzburg. A passenger came into the compartment and seeing Gandhi, left immediately. He returned with the conductor, who asked Gandhi to move to a third class compartment. Gandhi showed him his first class ticket and refused to move. The conductor called the police who forcibly evicted him from the compartment and threw his luggage out. The train left without him.
It was a cold winter night. Gandhi spent the night at the station shivering with cold as his warm clothes were in the luggage, which railway officials had collected and kept separately. He sent a telegram about the incident to the General Manager of the railway, who justified the conduct of the authorities. Next day evening, he caught a train that brought him to Charlestown.
From Charlestown to Johannesburg he had to travel by a stagecoach, as there was no connecting train between them. The coach conductor did not allow Gandhi to sit inside the coach, to which he was entitled. The conductor himself sat inside the coach and forced Gandhi to sit next to the driver, outside. After some time, the conductor wanted to smoke. He came out and wished to sit where Gandhi was sitting. He asked Gandhi to sit at the footboard of the driver. Gandhi felt it intolerable and objected. He told the conductor that he should have been offered a seat inside the coach, but was forced by him to sit near the driver. He would not vacate the current seat but was prepared to sit inside.
The conductor physically attacked Gandhi and tried to push him down from the coach. Some other passengers who felt pity for his condition told the conductor to leave him alone. The conductor left him, but threatened to punish. Gandhi arrived at Standerton, where the coach stopped for the night. Gandhi wrote a letter to the agent of the coach company detailing what had happened to him during the trip. The agent did reply and assured him for his safe onward journey. Next day Gandhi continued his journey in another coach and arrived safely at Johannesburg.
From Johannesburg to Pretoria, Gandhi travelled by train in the first class. During this trip, a guard came to check his ticket and signalled him to move to a third class compartment. Gandhi showed him his first class ticket but the guard was mulish. An Englishman, who was travelling in the same compartment intervened and told the conductor not to harass the innocent passenger. The guard left the compartment cursing them both. Gandhi arrived at Pretoria in the evening.
Next morning Gandhi met Mr Baker, the attorney of Sheth Abdulla. Baker familiarised him with the case. Baker was a staunch Christian. He introduced Gandhi to other Christian friends including Mr Coates.
Christian friends endeavoured to convert Gandhi to Christianity. However, he did not agree with some of its tenets. He read books on major religions and discerned varying degree of pros and cons in all religions. He found his own religion more stimulating.
Coates was friendly to Gandhi and used to go on walks with him. A permit was required for Indians to walk on the footpaths. Gandhi had obtained such a pass. Once he was walking alone on the footpath. A guard on duty nearby saw him and attacked him for walking on the footpath, without even asking for the permit. At that moment Coates was passing through the street. He interfered and saved Gandhi from severe injury. He suggested to Gandhi that he sue the guard and offered to be a witness, however Gandhi did not take any further action on this matter.
Gandhi desired to study the condition of Indians in Pretoria. He called a meeting of Indians with the help of prominent members of the community. He delivered his first public speech addressing issues relating to Indian settlers. His speech focussed on observing truthfulness in business, cultivating sanitary habits in daily life and forgetting difference among various groups. These attributes were required to gain justice and fair treatment. He suggested the formation of an association that could make representations to authorities.
Gandhi was required to assist the barristers fighting the case in the court for Sheth Abdulla. He familiarised himself with all the nuances and prepared briefings. He realised that facts were in favour of Abdulla but the court case could prolong and financially ruin both parties. He believed that an out of court settlement would be the best outcome. He suggested the parties for arbitration to which they agreed. The case was settled out of court.
Gandhi returned to Durban to prepare for his return journey home. During the farewell party he noticed a paragraph in the local paper about a bill on Indian Franchise. No one in the party was aware of it. The bill was against Indians’ interests. If passed, it would have made their lives more miserable. Only Gandhi was capable of understanding the issues and taking any action. All present there requested him to delay his return and help them oppose the impending bill. So he postponed his journey and stayed to prepare petitions against the bill.
Gandhi prepared a submission against the bill with signatures of tens of thousands of people and sent it to the chairman of the legislative assembly. He also submitted it to British minister for colonies and arranged for its distribution in India, South Africa and England. The actions to oppose the bill created a new awareness among the Indian population.
When it became clear that Gandhi had to stay indefinitely, he applied for admission to work as an advocate of the Supreme Court. The racially motivated Law Society opposed his application for admission. Ultimately the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court decided in favour of Gandhi and admitted him as an advocate.
Gandhi became a successful advocate in South Africa. He preferred resolution of cases through arbitration, which was less expensive to clients. Despite this approach, his earnings were enough to maintain a high living standard.
On his advice, Natal Indian Congress was established in 1894 to fight discrimination against Indians. The same year Natal government decided to impose £25 personal tax on indentured Indian labourers, who were helpless and were treated as slaves. Gandhi opposed it through Natal Indian Congress. It was reduced to £3, but it was unjustifiable. Gandhi called it a cruel tax.
In mid 1896, Gandhi left for India to bring his family. In India, he travelled many places, and met political leaders and editors of leading newspapers. He made them aware of condition of Indians in South Africa. Gandhi returned to Durban with his family. On arrival, he was attacked by an angry mob. Authorities suggested him to sue the attackers but he forgave them. His action made him utterly popular.
His struggles against injustice continued and in the process he came in close contact with people living in extremely poor conditions. He decided to reduce his expenses and live a more austere life. He started washing and ironing his own clothes. A white barber refused him a haircut so he began cutting his own hair. He switched over to uncooked food and started observing regular fasting as a method of self-purification.
In 1901, Gandhi decided to return permanently to India. His supporters agreed to let him go on a condition that he would come back if his presence became essential for their cause. Gandhi consented.
He returned to India with his family. He travelled to many regions, met prominent leaders and finally tried to settle in India. At that stage, he received a telegram from South Africa requesting his immediate return. The British minster for colonies was on tour there. Gandhi was required to present Indians’ grievances to the minister. True to his word, Gandhi returned to South Africa and presented a list of injustices against Indians to the minister.
Gandhi started his practice as a barrister in Johannesburg High Court. He earned good money from his legal business. He started publishing a magazine named Indian Opinion in 1904. He met Mr Polak, the deputy editor of a publication. Polak gave Gandhi a book entitled ‘Unto This Last’ written by John Ruskin. The book impressed Gandhi deeply.
Gandhi established a farm in 1904 at Phoenix near Durban. It became a settlement where people associated with the struggle against discrimination of the Indian community could live and work.
In August 1906, Transvaal government introduce an ordinance for all Indians to register their name and always carry a permit with their name and thumbprint. Gandhi objected to the ordinance but finally a compromise was reached with the government. The compromise infuriated some Indians. An annoyed Pathan follower of Gandhi attacked him causing serious injury. Gandhi refused to take action against the attacker and pardoned him.
The government reneged from fulfilling their part of the terms. Gandhi called on his supporters to protest peacefully. He called his method of actions Satyagrah, or Insistence on Truth. He organised collective burning of permits. He went to jail several times. He left the legal profession and devoted his time and energies to public causes.
In his personal life, he experimented in many areas, including food, medicine and self-control. In 1906 he took a vow of Brahmacharya, abstention from sensual relationship.
Herman Kallenbach, an English farmer was impressed by the experience of living and working at Phoenix. He offered Gandhi a large farm near Johannesburg to establish a new colony for participants of Satyagrah. The colony, named Tolstoy Farm, was established in 1910.
During that period, a court in South Africa declared all Indian marriages illegal. Indians opposed this decision and intensified their Satyagrah. Satyagrahis were arrested, tortured and jailed. Gandhi was pained by such treatment and vowed to walk barefoot, wear worker’s dress and eat only once a day as long as £3 personal tax was not removed and oppression did not end. Gandhi led a march of over 6,000 mine workers in Natal in 1913. He was arrested and jailed.
In December 1913, Gandhi was released from jail but his Satyagrah continued.
Finally, an enquiry commission instituted to examine Indians’ grievances accepted their demands. Following the commission’s findings, The Indian Relief Bill was passed. It revoked the personal tax, recognised Indian marriages and removed the permit system for Indians.
In July 1914, Gandhi left South Africa for India via London. After staying in London for sometime he arrived in India on 9th January 1915. This date is celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or the Non-Resident Indian Day to recognise the contribution of the overseas Indian community.